Jain Irrigation Systems Limited (JISL), the largest manufacturer of irrigation systems worldwide and a leading processor of fruits and vegetables and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd (HCCBPL) – one of the largest manufacturer and distributors of juice, juice drinks, sparkling soft drinks and packaged water, are helping farmers adopt UHDP technology.

India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes, but the average yield per hectare of mangoes in India is one of the lowest in the world – even behind countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan. The mango productivity in India is estimated at 6 metric tonnes per hectare while that of Brazil is 16 metric tonnes per hectare. Ultra High Density Plantation is a proven technology, commonly practiced for mango cultivation worldwide and combined with other sustainable agricultural techniques, has the potential to yield upwards of 200% more produce than that by the traditional method. Project Unnati is aimed at a large scale adoption of UHDP in the country and aims to scale up the project to cover end-to-end fruit supply chain and further optimize delivery. The project to be scaled up over a period of 10 years, isaimed at creating an ecosystem that delivers higher growth and income for farmers and ‘Grove to Glass’ fruit supply chain and optimizingdelivery for Indian brands Maaza and Minute Maid Mango. Project Unnati alone is expected to deliver close to 240KMT fruit by year 2023 – 24.

The program will use specialized buses with in-built classrooms to provide training at farmer’s doorstep regarding UHDP techniques in mango farming which can help farmers double their mango yields and thus significantly improve their livelihood. The project has an investment outlay of more than Rs. 50 crores, shared equally between HCCBPL and Jain Irrigation.